A Return to Mythology

by Paula Gail Benson

I was excited to see The Odyssey as the big summer movie. I remember the joy I had reading Bernard Evslin’s The Trojan War, and very much anticipate watching Christopher Nolan’s adaptation.

Maybe another reason I feel “connected” to Nolan’s production is through the actor Logan Marshall-Green, who plays Melanthius, Odysseus’ disloyal goatherd. Logan and his twin brother, Taylor, are the children of my high school drama teacher, Lowry Marshall, and my college theatre director, Russell Green. I saw the twins as babies not long after they were born. After divorcing, Lowry moved to Rhode Island, where she taught students John F. Kennedy, Jr., and John Krasinski at Brown University. Fortunately, Facebook allowed me to reconnect with her a few years before she passed away. I know she would be tremendously proud of Logan.

Madeline Miller’s books The Song of Achilles and Circe drew me back to mythological reading. Miller’s work brings the stories to a modern audience. She’s extremely skilled at character development and helping readers understand what motivated these mythic and somewhat mysterious beings. I had the chance to meet her when she attended the Decatur Book Festival and was very impressed she had spent some time at Yale School of Drama to learn how to better portray scenes and action.

Currently on my bookshelf is the adult debut novel I, Medusa by New York Times best selling author Ayana Gray. The first book in her speculative young adult series, Beast of Prey, has been optioned by Netflix for a series. In I, Medusa, Gray explores the origin story of a young woman who becomes an acolyte for the goddess Athena then falls from grace.

Recently, I’ve come across another novel reinventing mythology. Ungodly Rich by Katharine McGee is recommended by People and Woman’s World magazines. It’s the contemporary story of Julia Dodds, a young woman working as a tour guide, who meets Harry Adams, an adventurer. There is instant chemistry. After they begin living together, Harry asks her to come home with him to meet his folks. The parents happen to be Zeus and Hera and Harry is actually Ares. How Julia navigates the modern pitfalls of becoming involved with the gods of Olympus is the story.

I’m looking forward to reading Gray’s and McGee’s books. I’m wondering how those works should be categorized. McGee’s sounds as if it might be considered “romantasy,” a combination of romance and fantasy. But is myth categorized as fantasy? Maybe it should be a corollary of speculative fiction called “mythic fiction.” What do you think?

From Book to Movie to Merchandise

DVD Cover

by Paula Gail Benson

I first heard about The Sheep Detectives when I saw a promotion by Hugh Jackman saying he had agreed to appear in the project. I was intrigued by the subject: a shepherd is killed and his flock of sheep decide they must find the murderer. Most people at this point would question what type of movie this was: (1) animated, (2) for children, or, (3) as one of my friends asked when I described it, “is this like George Orwell’s Animal Farm”?

To take those questions in order: (1) yes, there is animation; (2) no, it’s not written for children, although adults might decide they could share it with their children; and (3) no, it’s not another Animal Farm, although there are some satiric elements in the story.

Here’s a brief summary: George, the shepherd, takes good care of his flock, including reading to them from classic murder mysteries at the end of the day. While George assumes the sheep cannot understand, they actually do. In particular, Lilly, the smartest sheep, has become adept at solving the mysteries before they hear the end. When Lilly discovers George lying still in the meadow just outside his trailer home, she finally accepts the fact that he is dead and that the local law enforcement officer will need help to solve the crime. With the assistance of other members of the flock, Lilly investigates and maneuvers the clues so the officer will discover them. Fortunately, the officer comes to appreciate and rely upon their detective skills and finds the true killer.

The Sheep Detectives comes from Amazon studios and is available through Amazon Prime. Along with Hugh Jackman as the shepherd George, the cast includes Emma Thompson as the lawyer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the voice of Lily, Bryan Cranston as the voice of a reclusive sheep Sebastian, Patrick Stewart as the voice of an aristocratic and unyielding elder sheep Sir Ritchfield, and Brett Goldstein as the voice of twin rams, Reggie and Ronnie, who enjoy bashing things.

I must admit I had to watch the film a couple of times just to be able to identify everyone. There are two casts, sheep and human, each with numerous characters.

Multiple viewings helped me to appreciate the witty lines and funny bits. For instance, when the sheep first must cross the road to leave their pasture, they are terrified by it. As they cower on one side, a chicken walks confidently over the asphalt.

The more I watched the film, the more I wondered about its basis. Checking on Amazon, I learned the source material was a German author’s book, Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann. It had been translated into English and had a sequel, Big Bad Wool. Swann grew up in Munich and has degrees from Munich University. She also has written a series of mysteries about Agnes Sharp, a senior detective.

As I looked through Amazon, I realized an industry had developed to promote The Sheep Detectives. You can buy guides to explain the book and movie symbolism, stuffed animals, tee shirts, tumblers, cups, totes, and pins. An incredible variety.

It made me wonder, could this type of commercial enterprise have developed around George Orwell’s Animal Farm? I ran a search on Amazon. It’s out there. Posters, tee shirts, vintage collectors’ editions.

Tin Decor as sold on Amazon

Have you ever been surprised by literary merchandizing?

Lily as sold on Amazon

Winter Lamb Tumbler as sold on Amazon

The Joys of ShortCon

Michael Bracken

by Paula Gail Benson

I imagine readers are going to see a lot of posts about ShortCon, the program organized by Michael Bracken and Stacy Woodson that has taken place for the last three years at Elaine’s Restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia. This was my first time attending, but many participants had been to all three.

Why would you want to go and keep returning?

1. Writing is done in isolation. When you find your tribe gathering, you want to be part of the event, to make connections, catch up with friends, and hear the news. This is difficult for short story writers, particularly those in the mystery field. Most larger conferences focus on novels and have only a few panels on short stories. Also, I don’t think readers of short stories are usually drawn to conferences, unless they read mysteries generally. ShortCon provides the concentration and more intimate setting where people can easily talk.

For instance, I belong to the Short Mystery Fiction Society (SMFS), a group that welcomes members at no cost and annually recognizes excellence in flash, short stories, longer short stories, and novelettes with the Derringer awards (usually presented at Bouchercon). Joseph S. Walker is the President of the SMFS. I’m always reading his messages, but it was a real pleasure to have dinner with him and hear about his short story collection, Crime Scenes, that has recently been published.

Stacy Woodson

A Noir at the Bar event took place at Elaine’s the night before ShortCon. Some excellent writers read their own short stories. The atmosphere was relaxed, allowing participants to get to know each other better before the full day program began.

2. ShortCon operates on a very economical basis. There is a registration fee, but it covers the breakfast and lunch for the day of the program. Also, there are raffles and giveaways throughout the meeting. I asked Michael if any books would be available for sale and he replied that people paid enough to attend, the organizers wanted to give back. They did, in information and in extras.

3. Craft and market information are important. ShortCon recognizes and supplies both. Among this year’s craft presenters were Gary Phillips (who took the group through an exercise in creating a villain) and Art Taylor (who spoke about how to structure a novel in short stories). Art invited Ashley-Ruth Bernier to talk to the group about her recently released The Bush Tea Murder, a novel told in short stories. Art’s own On the Road with Del & Louise, A Novel in Stories, has just been reissued. Michele Slung explained the reading process for selecting stories to be included in Otto Penzler’s The Best Mystery Stories of the Year, and Jackie Sherbow, editor of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, spoke about transitions taking place at that publication.

4. Elaine’s has become well known not only for its superb Mediterranean cuisine but also as a haven for literary events. The Westin Alexandria Old Town (a fifteen-minute drive to Reagan National airport) had excellent rooms, an attentive staff, and a comfortable bar for discussions. Alexandria was a very walkable and Uber friendly city.

Are you a short story writer? Have you considered becoming one? You might want to check out ShortCon. It's a great learning and networking experience.

Centering and Focusing

by Paula Gail Benson

Lately, I’ve been facing days with a lot of tasks coming to me at once. I’ve had to clarify the order and set priorities. Unfortunately, I’ve often been told all matters are urgent and do the best I can. So, I do, and hope for the best.

After a flurry of activity, writing is a much stiller, calmer course. Its quietness in fact can be disconcerting and make me wonder, am I able to do this? Can I be alone with my thoughts and create when no one is imposing requirements upon me?

The empty page becomes a frightening thing because it makes no demands upon me. It simply reflects the demands I make upon myself: to produce, and hopefully to do so brilliantly.

When I dispel the feeling of possible failure and convince myself to write, I begin to recognize what a gift it gives me. The time and words are mine to explore. I can center myself on the topic I select and then focus on the elements as I uncover them.

Thanks to the Internet, I can stop briefly to look up definitions; historical, mechanical, or scientific facts; or verify that I’m remembering something correctly. Then I push myself back to my waiting page and develop what I’ve determined to create.

At this moment, I don’t let the pressure of finishing or summarizing make me frantic or turn to AI. These will be my words carefully considered, my discovery new and fresh.

I may be able to visit a place I’ve never seen or return to a familiar spot. Like an actor, I can walk around in a character’s shoes, focusing on what I might fail to notice in the hustle and bustle of everyday existence—maybe even regretting that I might not ordinarily see it.

With pen in hand, I feel the flow of the creative process through my body. I guess I feel it also when my fingers are poised over a keyboard, just in a different way.

I am centered. I am focused. I pursue the creative process alone, but hopefully I will share the results of that process with others.

How is it for you when you come to write after being involved in another experience?

Getting Ready to Celebrate Malice Domestic 2026

 by Paula Gail Benson

This year, Writers Who Kill has so much to celebrate at Malice Domestic, which will be held this weekend in Bethesda, Maryland. We are all excited for the recognition being given to our blogging partners. Not only is Annette Dashofy the guest of honor, but also Annette,  Connie Berry, and Marilyn Levinson are Agatha finalists! Many congratulations to our partners and to all the folks who have worked so diligently to prepare and present what has become like an annual reunion party. It will no doubt be glorious!

Ashley-Ruth Bernier

I’m delighted to get the party started with brief interviews from the finalists for Best Short Story and Best Debut Novel. Each year, I’m always impressed with the authors in these categories. They visited yesterday on The Stiletto Gang and today we’ll continue the conversation. Please note that the links will take you to the nominated short stories.

To learn more about these talented authors, just click on their names in the BIOS section and that will take you to their websites.

 

Best Short Story

Six-Armed Robbery by Ashley-Ruth Bernier, Malice Domestic Mystery Most Humorous

Baby Love by Barb Goffman, Double Crossing Van Dine

Lola’s Last Dance by Kerry Hammond, Celluloid Crimes

Boss Cat Rules by Nikki Knight, Malice Domestic Mystery Most Humorous

While the Iron is Hot by Edith Maxwell, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

 

QUESTION: Each of you has chosen a unique setting for your story. How has the setting influenced your plot development?

Ashley-Ruth: Like the vast majority of my stories, Six-Armed Robbery takes place in St. Thomas, Us. Virgin Islands. I’m a 7th generation Virgin Islander, and grew up on St. Thomas. It’s a wonderful place to live and a gorgeous setting in which to grow up. My oldest three kids were born there as well!

I try to highlight some aspect of Virgin Islands life in my stories, and in this one, it’s the fauna. Specifically, the creepy fauna that has terrified many a VI lady for countless generations! Maybe frogs, roaches, iguanas, geckos, and gungolos aren’t scary for everyone, but I know plenty of my countrywomen would agree with me that they aren’t exactly a comforting sight, either.

I don’t want to give away too much of the story, but we all grew up hearing the same admonition about gungolos. I’m okay with snakes, iguanas, and lizards, but like Sister Alice, I’ll give a gungolo its space every time.

Barb Goffman

Barb: I set "Baby Love" in a small town, which was necessary for the story to work. The premise of the story is that the main character, a PI, has a rich wife who keeps trying to lure her husband into bed so she can get pregnant, but at every turn she's thwarted—all her seductive moves give her husband an idea of where to look next for clues. In order for the wife to be able to keep trying to entice her husband, he needs to not only work from home but to have a current case that keeps him close to home. So I have him hired to find the next-door neighbor's missing dog. The neighbor fears poor little Brody has been stolen to be used as a dogfighting bait dog. (Don't worry; he wasn't.) The husband inspects the neighbor's yard and surrounding area for clues, talks to other neighbors, does online research, and relies on his knowledge of people in the small town thanks to his involvement in the local Kiwanis club. The wife tries to seduce him while he is investigating, approaching him, standing alluringly by their bedroom window, and more.

The story needed to be set in a place with grass and soil, with streetlamps outside homes, where there are friendly neighbors, local online newspapers, civic organizations, and not a lot of traffic (people and cars). All of these aspects of the setting enabled the PI to further his investigation. I also had the town have no known dogfighting, despite the dog owner's fears, which meant the town police wouldn't take the time to search for what they viewed as an escaped dog. That gave my PI free rein to investigate without having to deal with officers working the same case. I also needed the wife to be able to show off her assets, so to speak, so she needed to live in a place where she could stand seductively by her window without fear that someone other than her husband might see her. If "Baby Love" was not set in a small town, where all of these details could be put to work, the story itself would not have worked.

Kerry Hammond

Kerry: My story takes place in what some might call a "seedy" setting. Lola is a dancer at a club, but I don't want my readers to dismiss her as frivolous or inconsequential. I wanted her story to be compelling and I wanted readers of all types to identify with her no matter what she did for a living.

Nikki: My plots grow out of the world of the characters. This story started with Neptune, but he’s part of the larger Vermont Radio Mysteries setting, as the Boss Cat of the small-town radio station. While the murder itself was designed especially so Neptune could witness it from his window, the motivation is something very specific to that little Vermont town. No spoilers, but it relates to the kind of land-use issues I covered years ago when I worked at, yes, a small Vermont radio station. Though, sadly, we didn’t have an amateur sleuth cat!

Nikki Knight

Edith: The setting for "While the Iron is Hot" is a north-of-Boston modest home near the coast that two of the characters never leave. The narrator, Natasha, comes and goes several times. Because she grew up there, she knows where and how to use the surroundings to her benefit. I've also lived in that area for decades, and being familiar with the terrain and the seasons makes the writing come more easily.

Edith Maxwell

 QUESTION: What have you learned from writing short stories that benefits any length or genre of writing?

Ashley-Ruth: Establish the energy of your story quickly, and sustain it throughout. Is it funny and light? Sweet and poignant? Shadowy and suspenseful? Begin in that vein and drop your readers into the mood that will carry them throughout the entire story. I’ve found that this kind of momentum keeps readers hooked and makes for a story that feels connected and complete.

Barb: Short stories require focus. You want to keep driving the plot forward. And you want to keep your writing tight and interesting. To do that, you want to keep reviewing your word choices to see if you can say something more clearly, with more forceful verbs and intriguing adjectives. You want to make your setting do double duty, if possible, not just showing where the story is set but helping to set the tone and move the plot forward. These skills can be put to good use in any genre, at any word length.

Kerry: I’ve learned to be concise and that everything you include in the final product must move the plot or character forward. Readers want a compelling story, not fluff or filler words.

Nikki: Start with the fact line. Whatever the length of the story, if you know the details of the crime, who solves it, and how, you have your roadmap. You can add scenery, and take useful side trips, but as long as you always keep track of the main fact line, you won’t get lost.

Edith: Focus! Whether it's a story of three thousand words or seventy-three thousand, every character, every word, every action needs to mean something and must move the story forward.  Of course, novels have more room than short fiction to explore subplots and secondary relationships. As in a short story, it all needs to be important.

 

Best First Novel

Whiskey Business by Adrian Andover

Murder in the Crazy Mountains by K. L. Borges

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku

Player Elimination by Shelly Jones

Voices of the Elysian Fields by Michael Rigg

 

QUESTION: How much of your own background or characteristics are incorporated into your novel?

Adrian Andover

Adrian: There's so much of myself in my novel, Whiskey Business—not so much my life experiences, but rather my emotional center. Even though my protagonist, Reece Parker, leads a life that is different from my own, I draw a lot from my own questions, passions, fears, doubts, ideas, and emotions when I write. I'd say there's a little bit of me in all of the characters. There are no characters that "are" me, but I do believe that when you finish reading the book, you'd understand who I am as a person a bit more. I've always written as a way to express what I'm feeling inside, and some of my loved ones have confirmed that they can feel my spirit in the story.

 

K.L.: A lot! So many little pieces of the story are inspired by actual events in my past that either happened to myself or friends. Many were things I had forgotten about until they bubbled up, clamoring to be included, as I wrote. The protagonist is essentially myself as I would be if I existed in her reality. Write what you know, right?

 

K.L. Borges

Sandra: I’m not a professional soul food chef, though I too was partially raised on the west side of Chicago and teethed on the fare of my Southern forebears. Like Savvy Summers, I’m a second generation migration of the Great Migration, when some six million souls made their way from the segregated South, to urban areas in the North and West.

Sandra Jackson-Opoku

Shelly Jones

Shelly: Like Wren and her nerdy board gaming besties, I too am very nerdy and love board games. I own a few hundred (not an exaggeration) and often have gaming weekends with my friends (when I’m not holed up writing away…). At the same time, I am very introverted and need a lot of down time to process and regroup, even after interacting with my closest friends (ala Charlie in my books). I also live in a small college town, like my books, and love being able to walk down to the bookstore/coffee shop and the farmer’s market each weekend. Having grown up in a much larger city, small town living is definitely for me.

 

Michael Rigg

Michael: Though I no longer practice law, I’m still an active member of the bar. I’m not a medical professional, though I’ve been involved with various medical personnel/experts over the years when I was in active practice. My brother is a physician (though now retired, I believe), so much of my medical information comes from him. In terms of personal characteristics, my protagonist is much like me, introverted and duty-bound. My professional career was mostly associated with the U.S. Navy, either active duty, reserve, or as a civilian. So, you’ll find that many of my characters, including the protagonist, have a military background. I might not have the experience to write from the point of view of a different gender/orientation/ethnicity than mine, but I feel fairly comfortable in “writing Navy” or other military branch, where the dedication to mission accomplishment transcends many interpersonal differences/backgrounds. And, at one point in my career, I earned certification as a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) practitioner, so I use those personality-types in adding depth to characters/character reactions.

 

QUESTION: How did you determine who your protagonist would be? Will this be part of a series? If so, what is in store for your next novel?

 

Adrian: My protagonist, Reece Parker, was born from the setting of the novel. Before I knew who'd be telling the story, I knew that I wanted to set a cozy mystery in a literary-themed cocktail and mocktail lounge. From there, I figured my protagonist would be a mixologist. Once I had a really good understanding of the setting, I spent a lot of time developing Reece's character, and now I feel like he's a real person.

 

I'm very excited to share that Whiskey Business is part of a series, and the next book is coming out on June 30, 2026. It's called Pour Choices, and it's available for pre-order now. The next installment takes place during an August heat wave in Hope Mills. Reece and the Subplot crew are hosting their first-ever Comedy and Cocktails night. When the comedian they hire tells some jokes that go too far during her set, she's found floating in the nearby Delaware River the next morning. With his best friend Nate tied up in the investigation, Reece commits to figuring out whodunit. I can't wait to share the story with the world in a couple of months

 

K.L.: The whole story started as a very involved daydream spun out during a long car trip, and I absolutely put a fictionalized version of myself into the leading role. Once I decided to put the story into a book, I kept that character the same. Why change horses in midstream?

 

Yes, Murder in the Crazy Mountains is the first in a series of at least three books. In the second book, to be released on October 14th, 2026, we again meet the same main characters, in the same Helena, Montana, dog rescue. This time, they become involved in a shady dog rescue from Butte, following the untimely and suspicious death of a friend who transported dogs for the Butte operation. Bodies pile up, and they find themselves fighting to stay alive long enough to solve the mystery!

 

All the books will be set in this Montana dog rescue and involve the same main characters, with readers able to learn about different aspects of animal rescue and different types of dogs or other animals, as they enjoy fast-paced, suspenseful mysteries that contain enough humor to keep from becoming dark.

 

Sandra: Influenced by the late Barbara Neeley’s protagonist sleuth in her quarter of Blanche White novels, I wanted to write a mature protagonist who was shrewd, smart, sexy, and as her nickname suggests—savvy.

 

Shelly: While Player Elimination revolves mostly around Wren Winters, it was important to me that she had friends who supported her and added to solving the mystery. Just like in a board game, the interaction between players is important and I wanted to pay homage to the idea of gathering around the table to play together by having my board gaming besties gather clues and share them out. Each character contributes in a meaningful way to the mystery and to each other’s lives, so that really their friendship is the heart of the story. Player Elimination is book one in the Wren Winters series, followed by Murder, She Rolled and Game Over, both of which are available now. I’m nearly finished with the first draft of my next novel, which is the beginning of a new series about a former medical examiner who moves back to her Catskill Mountain hometown and takes a job at the local community college when her sister dies unexpectedly.

 

Michael: I’ve always been fascinated by medico-legal (forensic) issues and procedures in crime solving, so I determined that my protagonist would be a Coroner, if possible. Without going into a lot of detail, the Louisiana Coroner System is unique. The Coroner is responsible for death investigations (autopsies) in designated cases, coordinating sexual assault examinations, and being involved in the mental health (commitment) process. That diversity provides wide latitude for a writer to craft twists and turns in a novel, which is why I settled on Louisiana/New Orleans as the location for my novels. Voices of the Elysian Fields is the first novel in a series. The second novel, Shadows of Frenchmen, is scheduled for release by Level Best Books on May 5, 2026.

 

Short Story Authors’ BIOS

 

Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier’s work appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Weekly, The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2023, and other esteemed anthologies. Originally from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Ashley-Ruth writes mysteries highlighting the vibrant culture of her home. Ashley-Ruth is a 2022 winner of the North Carolina Writers Network's Jacobs-Jones award, a 2023 Short Mystery Fiction Society Derringer finalist, a Killer Nashville Claymore finalist, a 2024 recipient of Mystery Writers of America's Barbara Neely grant for Black mystery writers, and a 2026 Agatha and Derringer Award nominee. THE BUSH TEA MURDER is her first novel-length work. She currently lives with her family and teaches first grade in Apex, North Carolina.

 

Barb Goffman has been a finalist for major short story crime-fiction awards fifty times, forty-seven for writing and three for editing. She’s won the Agatha four times, the Macavity twice, and the Anthony and Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine Readers Award once each. She’s also won the Derringer for editing, and in 2024 the Short Mystery Fiction Society awarded her the Golden Derringer Award for Lifetime Achievement. Barb works as a freelance editor, often focusing on cozy and traditional mysteries. She also is an associate editor at Black Cat Weekly.

 

Kerry Hammond decided to give up the practice of law to commit crimes—on the page. She is a two-time Agatha Award nominated author whose short stories have appeared in several anthologies, including Malice Domestic, Bouchercon, and Sisters in Crime. One of those stories was chosen for inclusion in The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year, edited by Amor Towles. Her love of travel means that her stories often take place in foreign locales she has (or wants to) visit, or while her characters are enroute to their next adventure. She’s a huge fan of the subtle surprise and is happiest when her readers don’t see the ending coming. She lives in Denver with her husband, who is her favorite travel companion. Kerry also writes downloadable Murder Mystery Party games at BlameTheButler.com

 

Nikki Knight (Kathleen Marple Kalb) is an author/anchor/mom…not in that order. The Agatha-nominated author of short stories and novels, she’s also a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award-winning anchor of New York City's #1 weekend morning show on 1010 WINS Radio. Her work includes fourteen mysteries across four series, and short stories in top mystery magazines, anthologies, and online, with recognition in National Excellence in Storytelling, Black Orchid Novella, and Derringer competitions. Active in writers’ groups, she is a Marketing and Communications Liaison on the National Board of Sisters in Crime, and a past VP of the Short Mystery Fiction Society and NY/Tri-State SinC. She and her family live in a Connecticut house owned by a large calico cat.

 

Agatha-winning and Macavity-nominated author Edith Maxwell writes the Quaker Midwife Mysteries and the Local Foods Mysteries, as well as award-winning short crime fiction. As Maddie Day she authors the Country Store Mysteries, the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries, and the Cece Barton Mysteries. She also wrote two Lauren Rousseau Mysteries. Maxwell lives north of Boston with her beau, their sweet cat Martin, and her organic garden; she blogs with the other Wicked Authors and at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen.

 

Debut Authors’ BIOS

Adrian Andover is the author of Whiskey Business, his Lefty Award-winning and Agatha Award-nominated debut novel and the first entry in the Mixology Lounge Mysteries series. In 2020, Andover was living alone in a 200-square-foot studio apartment at the height of the pandemic when he found a joyful respite in cozy mysteries. Not seeing many gay men represented in the genre, he set out to write his own. When he's not reading, writing, revising, or publishing a story, he enjoys taking long walks, attending live music events, spending time with friends, and tasting craft cocktails around his chosen hometown of Asbury Park, NJ.

 

Born and raised in Idaho, K.L. Borges moved to Montana over thirty years ago. She and her husband raised their three children there, alongside a series of herding dogs. K.L. Borges was a math teacher at a private Billings high school (Go, Rams!) for a decade, following an earlier career as an environmental engineer. Borges is an active volunteer in the animal rescue community of south-central Montana, a member of the Billings Gem and Mineral Society and is a member of Sisters in Crime. She and her husband can often be found enjoying the Montana outdoors with their two blue heelers. Murder in the Crazy Mountains is her first book; it has been nominated for an Agatha Award.

 

Sandra Jackson-Opoku is the author of three award-winning novels. The River Where Blood is Born (American Library Association Black Caucus Award), Hot Johnny and the Women Who Loved Him (Essence Magazine Bestseller in Hardcover Fiction)and Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes (won the Malice Minotaur Award and is a finalist for the Edgar and Agatha Awards). Savvy Summers and the Po’boy Perils releases in July 2026. Her fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and dramatic works are widely published and produced. She coedited the anthology Revise the Psalm: Work Celebrating the Writing of Gwendolyn Brooks. Her professional recognitions include the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, the Chicago Esteemed Artist Award, the Globe Soup Story Award, the Iceland Writers Retreat Alumni Award, the Hearst Foundation James Baldwin Fellowship at MacDowell Arts.

 

Shelly Jones (they/them) is a professor at a small college in upstate New York, where they teach classes in transmedia storytelling, the mystery genre, and writing. A Pushcart nominee and Best Microfiction finalist, their creative works have been published in F&SF, Apex, and elsewhere. Their novel, Player Elimination, was nominated for the 2026 Agatha Award for Best First Novel. When they aren’t grading or writing, Shelly can often be found hiking in the woods or playing a board game while their cats look on.

 

Michael Rigg, an attorney for more than four decades, writes mysteries and thrillers set in two very different locations: Virginia Beach (where he lives) and New Orleans (which he visits as often as possible “for research,” including participation in three Mardi Gras Krewes). He is a retired Navy Judge Advocate and a retired civilian government attorney, formerly working for the Department of the Navy Office of the General Counsel. He is a member of International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, and both the Sisters in Crime national organization and its Southeastern Virginia Chapter—Mystery by the Sea.

How Do You Approach Multiple Writing Projects?

 by Paula Gail Benson

Lately, I’m finding myself working on several writing projects, particularly two mystery stories (one I’m sure is a novel, the other is still revealing its length). I’m happy for the opportunity, but wonder how to manage the writing effectively and to completion.

The reason I have this dilemma is that I attended the Summerville Book Festival and spent some time with author friends. (See my post yesterday at The Stiletto Gang with more information about the Book Festival.) Previously, Dorothy McFalls and I had been in a writing group together where we discussed our work in progress. She remembered a story I had been writing at the time and asked what happened to it.

I had not thought about that story for years. When I got home, I looked up my notes and was surprised to find how close it was to being completed. I began putting the pieces together.

The story is part private investigation, part monster (based on a local legend), and part science fiction. The protagonist is the daughter of an admired history professor, now a patient in a mental hospital. The protagonist is tough, plain-spoken, yet compassionate. She struggles with a strange ability to clearly see the past when in the location where it occurred.

Meanwhile, I had been noodling with titles I thought might be good for culinary mysteries. At the same time, I could not imagine bringing anything new to that subgenre. I’ve loved so many books featuring food preparers and sellers from the works of Diane Mott Davidson to those of wonderful blogging partners Debra H. Goldstein, Korina Moss, and Shari Randall. What could I offer that would be unique?

Then, as so often happens for writers, I suddenly had the idea for a scene in my head. It took place in a police detective’s office. He was questioning a young woman who wrote for a weekly newspaper. A killer had used words from the titles of the articles she wrote to determine how each victim died. The articles were about food and their titles each began with the next sequential letter of the alphabet. The young woman thought of that because she wanted to write mysteries, loved Sue Grafton, and needed the job to extend at least 26 weeks.

Was the young woman really the killer or had someone else used her work as a guide? If someone else, it had to be a person in the community or possibly a coworker of the young woman. Was it someone trying to help the young woman advance or trying to frame her?

I’ve used two notebooks to keep my work on each story separated. I’ve developed a writing routine where every day I write first on the new story, then the novel.

So far, I’ve been making progress. I feel good about what I’m achieving.

What do you do when working on multiple projects? Any advice is appreciated!

The Year of the Fire Horse

by Paula Gail Benson

This year a series of February celebrations follow each other closely on the calendar. Valentine’s Day on February 14, Washington’s Birthday or President’s Day (or Family Day in Canada) on February 16 (see background in my post on The Stiletto Gang), Mardi Gras’ Shrove Tuesday on February 17, and Ash Wednesday on February 18 (I still remember the scene from Julie Smith’s Skip Langdon novel New Orleans Mourning where Skip takes a break from an investigation to go to the service where ashes are imposed at the St. Louis Cathedral on Jackson Square).

Right in the middle of all these events, also on Tuesday, February 17, is Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, which, this year, is the Year of the Horse. The Smithsonian website indicates that February 17 (when the new moon appears) begins a fifteen-day Spring Festival (celebrating the transition from winter) that ends with the Lantern Festival (where children traditionally go out at night taking lanterns to solve riddles). Many lanterns are simple, with the emperor and nobles having more intricate ones. Often, they are red in color, symbolizing good fortune, and in the shape of animals. According to Wikipedia, “The lanterns can symbolize the people letting go of their past selves and getting new ones, which they will let go of the next year.”

The China Highlights Travel Guide explains that the “Chinese Zodiac or shengxiao (/shnng-sshyao/), [which means] ‘born resembling,’ has a twelve-year cycle of animals, each representative of a successive year. In order, they are the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.” Also, the animals may be characterized by the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.

According to the Smithsonian website, the horse represents hard work, bravery, and resilience. The Year of the Horse occurred in 1990, 2002, 2014, and 2026.

This is a unique Year of the Fire Horse, which takes place every sixty years. The English edition of the Economic Times (indiatimes.com) indicates that fire “is associated with passion, intensity, courage and transformation.” Following a Year of the Wood Snake (wood being associated with trees and growing matter that can fuel fire and snake like a shedding of skin), “astrologers say 2026 could be a year of bold decisions, rapid progress and dramatic change. It is also a Yang year, traditionally linked to outward action and assertiveness.”

Hoping to understand what previous Years of the Fire Horse have brought about, I looked back to see when they occurred: most recently, 1906 and 1966.

Significant events that occurred in 1906 include the San Francisco Earthquake, beginning work on the Panama Canal, the first ever feature film being shown in Melbourne, Australia, the oldest African American Greek letter intercollegiate fraternity opening at Cornell University, and President Theodore Roosevelt winning the Noble Peace Prize. Persons born that year included Bugsy Siegel, Ozzie Nelson, Roberto Rosselini, Josephine Baker, Anne Morrow Lindberg, Estee Lauder, Satchel Paige, and Grace Hopper.

In 1966, several NASA launches took place, “It’s a Small World” ride opened at Disneyland, Walt Disney recorded his final message talking about the plans for EPCOT, the U.S. Supreme Court issued the Miranda warning case, and Ronald Reagan was elected Governor of California. A few well-known actors, directors, musicians, and sports figures were born in 1966, including Helena Boham Carter, Jon Favreau, J.J. Abrams, Janet Jackson, and Kurt Browning.

One development from 1966 that has continued to evolve is the Star Trek franchise, celebrating sixty years in existence with its latest series, Starfleet Academy, which was contemplated in earlier times and explored briefly in J.J. Abrams’ alternative Star Trek with Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Karl Urban. Wouldn’t that be incredible to write something that continues to be a source for the imagination more than a half century after its inception?

Are you a Trekkie or a Star Wars fan? What challenges and opportunities do you foresee for this Year of the Fire Horse?

Fire Horse Journal Available on Amazon